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Trump Shares Medical Information And Affinity For Fast Food With 'Dr. Oz'

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump released his medical records during a taping of The Dr. Oz Show with host Dr. Mehmet Oz, set to air Thursday.
Sony Pictures Television
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump released his medical records during a taping of The Dr. Oz Show with host Dr. Mehmet Oz, set to air Thursday.

Donald Trump sat down with controversial TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz on his show, set to air Thursday, to discuss his personal health and medical history.

The Republican presidential nominee's campaign had said earlier Wednesday he wouldn't be releasing on The Dr. Oz Show the results of a physical the 70-year-old candidate underwent last week. But a press release from the show said the two did discuss the recent physical along with his personal health, his views on health care policy and his recent proposal for child care and maternity leave:

"Mr. Trump shared with Dr. Oz the results of his physical examination performed last week by Dr. Harold Bornstein, M.D. of Lenox Hill Hospital, whom has been Mr. Trump's personal physician for many years," the statement read, also noting that Dr. Oz "took Mr. Trump through a full review of systems" including his nervous system, bladder and prostate health, cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health, family medical history and more.

Bornstein released a letter last December declaring that Trump would "be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency" and called his health "astonishingly excellent." NBC News reported last month that Bornstein had written the letter in five minutes while a limo sent by Trump waited outside his office.

Wednesday's taping was closed to the press, but NBC's Katy Tur reported that a source inside the studio said Dr. Oz read the full report of his physical and "said he was very healthy and that he would be happy if any of his patients had similar results." His blood pressure was reportedly good as was his cholesterol, though he is on cholesterol medication. He weighs 267 pounds (though other reports have said the number was 230 pounds) and Dr. Oz said Trump was "slightly overweight." Trump also said "never has a need to go to a hospital because he's too healthy."

According to a CNN interview with an audience member, Trump also said he wants to lose about 15 pounds.

Trump also reportedly had some surprising comments about his exercise regimen and eating habits, per NBC's Jesse Rodriguez.

Both candidates have been under pressure to release more of their medical history. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, 68, is set to return to the campaign trail on Thursday after falling ill with pneumonia.

The choice to reveal medical results on a TV talk show is an unusual one for a presidential candidate, but one that is certainly in line with the former reality TV star's unconventional campaign. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon by training, developed a loyal following after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show through the years. But the celebrity doctor has also come under scrutiny for hawking products that have no scientific validity, particularly weight-loss supplements. Oz also said on Tuesday he wasn't going to ask Trump "questions he doesn't want to have answered."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jessica Taylor
Jessica Taylor is a political reporter with NPR based in Washington, DC, covering elections and breaking news out of the White House and Congress. Her reporting can be heard and seen on a variety of NPR platforms, from on air to online. For more than a decade, she has reported on and analyzed House and Senate elections and is a contributing author to the 2020 edition of The Almanac of American Politics and is a senior contributor to The Cook Political Report.